This invention relates to a slimming device capable of providing a slimming action by a physical stimulation applied to the body.
Many slimming devices have been available to afford the body a physical stimulation such as an ultrasonic, a low frequency, a high frequency, a pressure, a roller vibration, and a thermal stimulation. However, these slimming devices are not based on an adequate mechanism for providing a slimming action, and merely allow physical exercises for increasing the level of metabolism, or tentative translocation of a superflux of adipose to another part. Consequently, most of these slimming devices provide a slight increase in metabolic level, and it is unknown if these devices effectively provide a slimming action.
The primary purpose in obtaining a slimming action is to lower a superflux of adipose stored in the body, or to optimize the level of the adipose. In view of attaining the purpose, a superflux of adipose from an adipocyte is firstly allowed to dissolve in blood (referred to as lipolysis), and then the lipid components produced by lipolysis are required to be combusted in a muscle tissue. In order to effectively combust the lipid components, it is necessary to increase in metabolic level or enhance the individual daily basal metabolic level by means of much physical exercises or elongated duration of time of physical exercises. That indicates that a slimming action is provided by continuous efforts to rise consumption energy relative to ingestion energy.
Most of the slimming agents that have been recently prevalent contain an ingredient for enabling induction of lipolysis via a direct secretion of noradrenaline. However, the induction of lipolysis is not sufficient to obtain a slimming action unless the lipid components produced by lipolysis are successfully combusted. Since the basal metabolic level reaches the peak at an age of front of the twenties and thereafter decreases, the adipose in the body is liable to accumulate due to the poor ability to combust the produced components with increasing age, thus making it difficult to obtain an effective slimming action.
On the other hand, advance of development in the field of treatment for obesity and the discovery of uncoupling proteins (uncoupling protein family) that are responsible for thermogenesis have led to elucidation on the mechanisms of obesity from the viewpoint of energy consumption, and it has been recently revealed that the level of metabolism depends on activity of the uncoupling protein family, which exists in a brown adipocyte, a white adipocyte, a skeletal muscle, and the like. As acknowledged from the fact that therapeutic agents for treating obesity have been developed to activate an uncoupling protein, what is necessary to obtain a slimming action is to determine how to activate an uncoupling protein in order to combust effectively the lipid components produced by lipolysis.
The present invention has been developed in view of the foregoing background, and is directed to provide a slimming device capable of successfully activating an uncoupling protein so as to obtain an effective slimming action.
In one aspect, the present invention relates to a slimming device which comprises means for physical stimulation wherein the means for physical stimulation comprises physically stimulating an uncoupling protein that is responsible for thermogenesis to activate the same, thereby generating and/or dissipating the heat.
The means for physical stimulation is herein referred to as at least one of a thermal stimulator, an electrical stimulator, and a mechanical stimulator applied to a part to be stimulated, and specifically include an ultrasonic, a high frequency, a middle frequency, a low frequency, a vibration, a heating, a cooling, an electric, a pressure, a massage, a kneading, a clapping, and the like.
The means for physical stimulation may comprise stimulating an uncoupling protein in at least one of a brown adipocyte, a white adipocyte, and a skeletal muscle. Brown adipocyte refers to a constituent cell in a thermogenesis tissue, brown adipose tissue, which is acknowledged to cause obesity when the function of the tissue lowers, and is located at the interscapular region, the axilla, the nape of the neck, the surrounding artery, the surrounding kidney, and the like. White adipocyte refers to a constituent cell in white adipose tissue that constructs a majority of body adipose and determines a physical feature by forming a thick fat build-up at any part of the body. Skeletal muscle is a general word showing a muscle for moving skeletons of the body, and is located systemically such as at arms, legs, and bulges.
In an embodiment, the present invention encompasses the slimming device which comprises means for physical stimulation, wherein the means for physical stimulation comprises stimulating exclusively an uncoupling protein in a brown adipocyte particularly located at the interscapular region, the axilla, or the nape of the neck, and the slimming device which comprises means for physical stimulation, wherein the means for physical stimulation comprises stimulating exclusively an uncoupling protein in a white adipocyte or a skeletal muscle located at a part to be slimmed.
Alternatively, the invention relates to the slimming device which comprises means for physical stimulation, wherein the means for physical stimulation comprises stimulating an uncoupling protein in a brown adipocyte located at the interscapular region, the axilla, or the nape of the neck, as well as stimulating an uncoupling protein in a white adipocyte or a skeletal muscle located at a part to be slimmed. The slimming device includes an embodiment wherein a part to be slimmed and a brown adipocyte are simultaneously stimulated, and an embodiment wherein a part to be slimmed is firstly stimulated, and subsequently a brown adipocyte is stimulated within a defined period of time after the first stimulation, or vice versa.
In a preferred embodiment, the invention relates to the slimming device wherein the means for physical stimulation also comprises stimulating physically a sympathetic nerve to secrete a catecholamine at a part to be slimmed. More preferably, the invention relates to the slimming device that comprises, as the means for physical stimulation, an ultrasonic stimulation in which the ultrasonic stimulation not only secretes a catecholamine from the terminus of a sympathetic nerve and the adrenal medulla to induce lipolysis of a white adipose, but also activates an uncoupling protein in a white adipose or a skeletal muscle to decay locally the free fatty acids released by lipolysis with energy dissipation in the form of heat.
In a further aspect, the present invention relates to a method for slimming down or reducing weight, which comprises physically stimulating an uncoupling protein that is responsible for thermogenesis to activate the same, thereby generating and/or dissipating the heat. This embodiment includes the embodiments as mentioned above with respect to the slimming device of the present invention.
In a still further aspect, the present invention relates to a slimming device which comprises means for physical stimulation, wherein the means for physical stimulation comprises an ultrasonic stimulation in which the ultrasonic stimulation activates a sympathetic nerve to secrete a catecholamine, thereby inducing lipolysis of a white adipose, as well as a method therefor.
The invention also relates to a slimming device comprising a physical stimulation arrangement, the physical stimulation arrangement being structured to physically stimulate an uncoupling protein that is responsible for thermogenesis to activate the uncoupling protein, thereby generating heat.
The physical stimulation arrangement can comprise at least one of a thermal stimulator, an electrical stimulator, and a mechanical stimulator capable of being applied to a part to be stimulated.
The physical stimulation arrangement can be structured to stimulate an uncoupling protein in at least one of a brown adipocyte, a white adipocyte, and a skeletal muscle.
The physical stimulation arrangement can be structured to exclusively stimulate an uncoupling protein in a brown adipocyte located at the interscapular region, the axilla, or the nape of the neck.
The physical stimulation arrangement can be structured to exclusively stimulate an uncoupling protein in a white adipocyte or a skeletal muscle located at a part to be slimmed.
The physical stimulation arrangement can be structured to stimulate an uncoupling protein in a brown adipocyte located at the interscapular region, the axilla, or the nape of the neck, as well as an uncoupling protein in a white adipocyte or a skeletal muscle located at a part to be slimmed.
The physical stimulation arrangement can be structured to simultaneously stimulate an uncoupling protein in a brown adipocyte and an uncoupling protein at a part to be slimmed.
The physical stimulation arrangement can be structured to firstly stimulate an uncoupling protein at a part to be slimmed, and to subsequently stimulate an uncoupling protein in a brown adipocyte within a defined period of time after the first stimulation, or vice versa.
The physical stimulation arrangement can be structured to stimulate a sympathetic nerve to secrete a catecholamine at a part to be slimmed.
The physical stimulation arrangement can comprise ultrasonic stimulation, in which the ultrasonic stimulation not only secretes a catecholamine from the terminus of a sympathetic nerve and the adrenal medulla to induce lipolysis of a white adipose, but also activates an uncoupling protein in a white adipose or a skeletal muscle to decay locally free fatty acids released by lipolysis with energy dissipation in a form of heat.